The Heart Of Time

At the top of the stairs she turned, following Kotaro down a long hallway with lots of doors on both sides. She assumed these were the dorm rooms but he never slowed down or stopped at any of them. At the end of the hall there was a doorway that read DO NOT ENTER. She was a little confused when Kotaro and the two carrying her bags gracefully walked through them as if they belonged there, only to turn to another flight of stairs.

Tama closed in on Kyoko and taunted, “I think they are sending you to the dungeon.”

Kyoko smirked over her shoulder at him, “We are going up not down you dummy.”

“An empty cold room at the top of the tower then,” Tama flipped her on the back of the head.

'Well at least I’m gonna stay in shape,’ she thought as they reached the top of another elegant flight of stairs, then they turned down another hallway but this one was beautiful. It looked like the floor was even made of marble. The doors were very far apart. There were only three rooms in this hall, and she worried to herself that maybe Kotaro didn’t know where she was supposed to be after all.

Kotaro walked to the last door, thinking to himself that she must be someone very special because there weren’t many people even allowed in this hallway, and he knew it to be the best room within the whole campus. He stepped in front of the door and waited on her and her young friend to catch up.

Kotaro smirked, she was nervous. He could smell it. He looked into her stormy emerald eyes and already felt his heart faltering, but for now, he would do as he was told.

He held his hand out, palm up. "Now I will take my leave, but if there is anything you need..." He handed her the key to her room, and giving her a look that made her blush, he actually bowed gallantly then motioned for the two men to follow him.

Kyoko and Tama both turned and watched them with raised eyebrows until they were out of sight, then Kyoko glanced back to the door and gasped. Right there on the door a nameplate read Kyoko Hogo in golden letters.

Tama tapped his sister on the shoulder snickering. "You know… you can catch flies that way."

Kyoko rolled her eyes as she mentally erased the point she had given herself earlier. Taking the key, she unlocked the door and timidly opened it, peeking inside.

Tama’s eyes got as big as saucers and he pushed his way past her. “No way! This room is almost the size of our whole house." His awe filled voice echoed in the silence. “You could open a freakin’ warehouse dance club in this joint.”

“So you like my dungeon?” Kyoko added the point back where it belonged.

*****

Two hours later, long after she had thanked Tama and sent him on his way, Kyoko was standing in the bathroom putting her stuff on the shelves. She again glanced at the bathtub that was big enough for five people.

Groaning, she mimicked her little brother’s words, "No way!"

She could feel the hair standing up on the back of her neck as she wondered again if it was all a mistake. “Yeah,” she whispered to herself. Someone would show up any minute to tell her to pack her stuff. She just knew that she had to be in the wrong room.

Kyoko walked back out and looked around the bedroom. The bed was the biggest bed she had ever seen, and already fully made, complete with fluffy comforter and all. The room was beautiful with soft purples and blues that made up the shag carpet and the bed. There were splashes of deep red here and there, and a closet big enough to get lost in.

She stepped into the living room where everything was black and gold, equipped with everything a person could want. She had already checked the kitchen. It was fully stocked. Kyoko shook her head for the umpteenth time. "No way." She gnawed on her bottom lip wondering what to do now. It was Saturday morning and classes didn’t start until Monday.

“Well, I can’t hide in here all day,” she mumbled to herself.

Feeling like she was sneaking around where she wasn't supposed to be, Kyoko headed for the door and stuck her head out into the hall. Not seeing anybody, she stepped out and closed the door behind her, then quietly walked back toward the steps leading below.

Again she had the feeling of being watched and it sent shivers down her spine, but she kept walking, not daring to turn around and look.

‘She can feel me,’ Kyou thought to himself. Maybe her powers weren’t buried as deep as he‘d feared. He had known the second she left her room and he inhaled the lingering scent... savoring it.

The memory of her scent seemed to refresh other memories. "Soon priestess, we will uncover your powers again. You may choose to hide them… but not for long." He leaned against the wall in the hallway, his golden eyes following her until she was out of sight.

*****

Kyoko could breathe a little easier once she found herself back on the bottom floor. She noticed that now it was hopping with people her age. Sighing and shaking off the last of the strangeness from upstairs, Kyoko stood there lost in thought for an extra moment.

She couldn’t stand it when her senses kicked in like that. Sometimes, she wished she couldn’t sense the things at all. She pushed it to the far reaches of her mind as she gazed around the large ground floor of the building. “I need an on and off switch for this thing,” she mumbled, still thinking about the strange vibes she’d gotten only a moment before.

She glanced over at the library, and then quickly looked back to the other side, deciding she wanted to know more about that area first. Working out had been a habit of hers for as long as she could remember, and she wanted it to stay that way. For the last two years, she’d taken up martial arts of any kind, and she loved the freedom of motion it gave her limber body.

Crossing to the rec rooms, she noticed there were many different workout areas in it. In one of the larger gyms, she could see through the glass. She couldn’t resist stopping and watching them for a moment. Two people looked like they were sword fighting. Hearing the clank of metal against metal, she raised an eyebrow. Heading closer to the door of the room, she peered in listening.

"You are not paying attention Suki." The one dressed in black spoke in a taunting male voice as he parried and tapped the other one on the bottom laughing.

Kyoko couldn’t see either one's face because they were wearing protective gear.

"Shinbe!" came a very angry but feminine voice. Then without warning, the person shot forward and tapped him on the head, well more like smacked him on the head with the fencing sword, then jerked her head shield off.

Kyoko was surprised to see long brown hair spill out and down the girl’s back as she marched up to the other and poked him in the chest hard with her finger, one eyebrow twitching. "It’s hard to fight seriously when you are such a letch.”

Shinbe pulled his headgear off grinning. In a sense of surrender he threw both his hands in the air, backing up. "I’m sorry Suki, but there it was… and you weren’t protecting it." Feeling a tingling sensation move in waves across his skin he frowned then slowly turned his amethyst gaze to the girl standing in the doorway, "Ahem, it would seem we have a visitor."

Kyoko watched as the girl named Suki actually blushed still glaring at her opponent then turn away from him walking up to her with a wide smile.

"Men," she rolled her eyes before sticking her hand out in a friendly manner, "Hi, I’m Suki, and this poor excuse for a guy is Shinbe,” she threw her thumb toward the guy who was walking up behind her, still grinning.

“Suki,” the young man named Shinbe exclaimed. “You wound me to the quick.” He emphasized his statement by placing both hands over his heart.

Suki frowned at him, “Shinbe… if I could wound you, your brain would have leaked out of your ears by now from all the hits you’ve forced me to give you.”

Shinbe wiggled his eyebrows, “You know I love the tough love you grace me with.”

“I’ll show you tough love here in a minute but I don’t want to scare off the new girl,” Suki shot back.

Kyoko already liked her, and taking her hand in a firm shake, she smiled. "Hi, I’m Kyoko Hogo, but please just Kyoko."

She glanced at the guy standing behind Suki. “It’s very nice to meet you both.” There was something about his eyes that drew Kyoko’s attention. They were amazingly amethyst color and very breathtaking. His hair was a little longer than shoulder length and very dark with blue highlights. He kind of reminded her of a singer from one of those 80’s rock bands.

Suki smiled from ear to ear. "Hey, I heard about you. Yeah, I knew you were coming today. I was going to come looking for you in a little while and show you around." She all of a sudden got a strained look on her face and turned her head to the side, pinning Shinbe with a hard stare, "I wouldn’t do that if I were you."

Kyoko tilted her head for a look. Sure enough… the guy’s hand had stopped in midair, almost touching Suki's bottom, and he was grinning with a starry eyed look.

Shinbe sighed and dropped his hand, "One day, I’m gonna figure out how you know, even when you’re not looking."

Suki just groaned, "I just do, that’s all!" Giving Kyoko a friendly smile she said, "Come with me and I’ll change real quick." She grabbed Kyoko by the hand and pulled her out the door.

Kyoko gave a glance back at Shinbe to see him waving. 'These two are going to be loads of fun,' she thought to herself as she was pulled into the women’s locker room.

Suki could already tell she liked Kyoko, and for some reason, she felt like she had known her without ever meeting her. "Kyoko, tell me a little about yourself while I change," She said stepping behind the dividing wall.

Kyoko sat down on a bench feeling completely comfortable around Suki. "Well, I come from a small town on the other side of the city. And for some reason, out of the blue, I received a letter saying I had a scholarship here." Kyoko could hear Suki’s “yep”, so she continued. "I really don’t know how I received a scholarship I didn’t even apply for."

Suki could hear the question in that statement and smiled, sticking her head out around the corner. "Don’t worry about that. You came here the same way I did." She disappeared behind the divider again as she added, “I never applied here either.”

Kyoko frowned, "But why? There has to be a reason. Do you know?"

Suki came back around, now fully changed. She sat down to put her tennis shoes on. “Yeah, I’ve figured it out. Well, some of it anyway. The guy that owns this school searches out people with...” Suki paused, tilting her head a little, “…unique abilities.” She shrugged adding, "You might have a lot to get used to when you start meeting the others that live here." She grinned, knowing she was right.

Suddenly, Suki stood up and threw a shoe at the locker room door, smirking in triumph when she heard soft cursing from the other side. Retrieving the shoe, she sat back down to pull it on. "So now, what unique ability do you have?"

Kyoko's breath seemed to stop as her mind went into overdrive. There was no way that anyone here could know about her being a priestess. She frowned at Suki guiltily and then quickly looked away as she answered, "None that I know of."

Suki lifted an eyebrow but shrugged knowing she'd find out sooner or later. "Come on, let’s go. Shinbe is probably waiting on us anyway." She opened the door and sure enough, Shinbe was standing there close enough to the door to have been listening to them. He smiled at them innocently, all the while backing up.

Suki closed the door behind them and pointed at the sign on the door. "Shinbe, can't you read? That says Women’s Locker Room." She gave him a pointed look.

Shinbe shrugged, "Yes, that’s why I was standing near it." He quickly jumped out of the way when she swung her hand at him. “Suki… I’m a male… I need affection. What better way to acquire it than to learn how the female mind works?”

“You can do your research in the library,” Suki said through gritted teeth.

Shinbe grinned. “Dearest Suki, every book on the female mind in that library… is blank.”

Suki smiled back, “That’s because all those books in the library were authored by men.”

Cocking an eyebrow at her, Shinbe leaned closer, “Exactly. I plan to be the first to write one that makes sense to those of us that possess testosterone.”

Suki flashed Kyoko a defeated look then glanced down at her watch. "Hey, are you hungry? Let’s go to the student restaurant and eat first."

Kyoko nodded. She had been too nervous to eat this morning, but with them she felt right at home and was now starving.

Shinbe waved a hand in front of him, "Ladies first." He yelped when Suki gave him another whack upside the head.

"I wasn’t too slow that time was I… now lead the way,” Suki gave him an accusing look. Once Shinbe was safely walking in front of them, she leaned close to Kyoko with a knowing smirk, "Just remember to keep him in front of you at all times, unless you want to be felt up."

Kyoko couldn’t help it. She started laughing and didn’t quit until they entered the built-in lunchroom, which to her looked more like a diner. Her eyes widened as she stepped closer to Suki. "You know, every time I turn around in this place, I feel like I’m in the wrong place."

Shinbe led them to a table near the back of the room. Suki and Kyoko slid into a bench while Shinbe took the other side, looking like he was the most innocent guy in the world. "You know, this place does take a lot of getting used to." He smiled at Kyoko making his amethyst eyes light up. "I’ve been here a year and still haven’t figured it out."

Suki nudged Kyoko's shoulder, "He arrived the same way you and I did. An open invitation." She shrugged as if to tell Kyoko to just accept it and enjoy.

Kyoko leaned forward with a confused look, "I don’t get it. Why would someone do that?"

Shinbe nodded knowing someone needed to tell her the truth. "I have certain abilities and so does Suki." He shrugged winking at her. "Everyone here with a scholarship does." He paused looking for the right word, "We are gifted in one way or another." He raised an eyebrow at Suki, "Have you told her yet?"

Suki gave a quick negative shake of her head then turned to Kyoko suddenly wanting to change the subject, "Hey, do you want a hamburger and fries?"

Kyoko nodded and Suki got up as if avoiding the question about the free scholarships, "Stay here, I’ll be right back and don’t worry. To those who have scholarships, the food is free and they even bring it to us." Suki went to place the order, leaving her alone with Shinbe.

Chapter 3 "Meeting Toya"

Shinbe leaned forward with a serious look on his face, his amethyst eyes almost glowing, "There are some normal people here, and then there are the ones that have scholarships like me and Suki. There are others that have scholarships, but we all have some kind of special ability… like a power normal people do not have.”

“Mine is Telekinesis. I can move objects with my mind.” “And telepathy which means I can speak to others with my mind.” He said the words without making a sound, knowing she could hear him within her own mind.

Kyoko’s lips parted when she didn’t see his lips move and his voice echoed inside her head. She suddenly felt warm all over like his voice was supposed to be there or … something. Her expression relaxed and her eyes softened as she gazed at him.

Shinbe tried to hide his curious frown… when he had linked minds with her just then… it had taken all his concentration just to close the connection. It was as if his power wanted to stay with her. Trying to shake the feeling, he continued. “I can also cast spells and I come from a long line of monks." He stopped when Kyoko burst out laughing.

Suki slid back in beside Kyoko not missing a beat, "I know it’s hard to believe, but he does come from a line of monks." She grinned then her look turned sober again, "And I have seen him throw things without touching them, and he is great at all kinds of martial arts."

“Perhaps we should inform the lovely Kyoko of all my talents,” Shinbe said suggestively.

Suki turned and glared at Shinbe, “No, I will not tell her you’re good at THAT!” She popped him on the top of the head for good measure.

"But still, he acts like he is only human," A sarcastic voice came out of nowhere and Shinbe straightened up, scooting over to give room to the voice.

Kyoko glanced up and her eyes locked with deep golden ones. The owner of the voice was good looking beyond anything she’d ever seen. Long black hair with silver highlights fell from his head in long layers. His sun-kissed skin seemed to glow with a healthy shine and his body was to die for. His eyes however, seemed to hold her captive even though he wasn’t looking directly at her.

Suki huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving the newcomer a pissed off look. "Great, you’re all it will take to scare her away."

Shinbe grinned at Suki then glanced at Kyoko to give introductions, "This is Toya. Toya meet Kyoko. Today is her first day here."

Toya turned to look at Kyoko, and for some reason the way he was looking at her, as if sizing her up, annoyed her. Kyoko narrowed her eyes at him, her first impression of him shot out of the sky.

"So, you’re the priestess?" Toya huffed and turned his head as if dismissing her as he sat down.

Kyoko’s eyes rounded on him and she gasped. No one here knew she was a priestess. As a matter of fact, only her closest family members knew that.

"How the hell do you know that?" she yelled at him, all of a sudden furious.

Toya flinched feeling his blood spike. "Damn, don’t yell like a freaking maniac. I can hear you fine," he growled at her.

Suki and Shinbe both winced, and kind of shrank in their chairs as Kyoko and Toya glared daggers at each other.

Toya's senses started to pick up a ripple of power that came with Kyoko's anger and he tensed up, thinking maybe she did have a little power in that small cute body, though he'd be damned if he told her that.

Silently, he appraised her appearance. Her auburn hair shimmered in the light around a beautiful heart shaped face. She had vibrant green eyes that were now looking at him in anger, which heated his blood slightly. He liked a woman with spunk and she was obviously full of it, but for some reason it set him on edge. What he didn’t like was the way she was glaring at him… he’d fix that real quick.

He glared at her harder, trying to intimidate her. "You got a scholarship didn’t you… and HE said you are a PRIESTESS!" Toya growled in her face, coming closer with every word till they were almost nose-to-nose. He folded his arms inside his loose sleeves and huffed at her. "Bet you don’t even know what a demon is," He grumbled, suddenly realizing she was getting cuter by the second and that annoyed him.

Kyoko flinched, her temper spiking. She knew what demons were. She’d studied them all her life and if her family was right, she had even met some… but she couldn’t remember. Still, she didn’t like Toya’s high and mighty attitude so she just cocked an eyebrow as if silently asking him if he wanted to bet on that.

Suki seemed to want to come to Kyoko's defense, "Toya, can't you be civil for one damn minute? She’s only been here a couple hours, and before you run her off, I’d like to convince her to stay." She looked almost sad at the thought of losing Kyoko so quickly.

Toya raised an annoyed eyebrow, glancing over at Suki, "Well, she didn’t even answer my question. Do you think she can handle it?" he turned the glare back to Kyoko.

"I can handle anything you can think to throw at me, asshole," Kyoko informed him, her words beginning to ice.

Suki and Shinbe glanced at each other. They’d never heard anyone but themselves and the owner of the university stand up to Toya like that, except maybe Kotaro. Then they both smirked, knowing they were definitely going to like this girl named Kyoko.

A waiter showed up at the table with a tray of food, and Kyoko turned her attention from Toya to him. The guy stared at Kyoko a little too long, and her senses started to tingle, telling her something was up. She looked up into dark eyes that didn’t seem to fit the boyish face belonging to the young man.

Something about him drew Kyoko in… though she didn’t know if she really liked the feeling. Sure, he was cute to look at but something about him made her slightly uneasy. She blinked trying to rid herself of the spell the young man seemed to emit without even trying. The mood was ultimately broken when she heard a low growl come from beside her.

Toya felt coldness crawl across his skin and growled at the guy, seeming to shake him out of his daze. As the boy’s eyes refocused on Toya's, they seemed to shimmer from jet-black to a silver-blue as he turned and fled the table.

Kyoko gave Suki a confused look, but Suki only shrugged it off, taking a bite of her own food. Beside her, Shinbe coughed into his hand trying to hide his weird sense of humor as he watched the guy race across the room. Kyoko was getting some very weird vibes from this guy ‘Toya’ and wasn’t going to rest until she found out what his problem was. She leaned back in her chair and studied him for a moment.

His long hair was the strangest color of midnight with thick silver highlights running wildly through it, and his eyes were beautiful… HE was beautiful. 'Mental note to self, smack yourself later for thinking that.' His eyes were flaming gold dust, no doubt about it. He would have been cute if it wasn't for the look he was now giving her.

Suki sighed. She needed to have a talk with Kyoko about making Toya too mad. He did have his line and it wasn’t good to cross it. And it wasn’t fair that Kyoko had no idea she was pissing off a guardian.

“I have found that if you play with fire… you often get burned,” Shinbe informed the silence at the table and was rewarded with a heated glare from everyone before they all decided to ignore him.

Toya stole another glance at Kyoko. So, this is who he was supposed to be watching? Kyou had to be kidding. Kyou had just told him about her coming this morning, with a level warning that he was to watch out for her and make sure she was safe at all times.

He narrowed his eyes now wondering about the boy who had just stood by their table. The way he had been staring at Kyoko had angered him. Was the priestess really in danger? Why would Kyou take such an interest in keeping a mere human safe? Kyou never treated anyone with respect, so what made this wisp of a girl any different?

Sometimes Toya hated the fact that Kyou was his appointed guardian, but he did have to admit he owed him a lot for taking him in. He also knew when Kyou did something that there was always a good reason for it and that alone made him wonder about this girl named Kyoko.

Shinbe, who noted the tension at the table could be cut with a knife, glanced at Suki with the biggest puppy dog eyes. Knowing he could make Kyoko smile again with his antics, he began to lay it on thick.

"So Suki, are you still going to the club with me tonight? It is Saturday night and I would hate to miss out on dancing with you by dancing with a dozen complete strangers.” Shinbe went into a dazed look as if dreaming of dancing with a throng of other women just to prove his point.

Suki gave him a level look wondering if she should slap the stupid look off his face, then turned to Kyoko. "Kyoko, I need a chaperone," she grinned. "You'll go with me won’t you? It’s too dangerous to go alone with just… him," she gave Kyoko a pleading look.

The corners of Kyoko’s lips twitched seeing Shinbe come out of the dazed look and wink at her again. "Suki, I would love to go with you guys. That way we can tag team Shinbe if he gets out of control."

They both gave Shinbe a pointed look and Shinbe groaned. Kyoko couldn’t help it as she busted out laughing again. She really liked these two.

Toya watched Kyoko out of the corner of his eyes. Damn, she was pretty when she laughed like that. He groaned inwardly. Where the hell had that come from? He slumped down in his seat annoyed with his train of thought. 'Damn it!' Now he’d have to go to the club tonight just to watch out for her. She was still smiling at Shinbe and Suki when she turned back.

As she glanced at him, his pulse skipped a beat and the temperature within his blood went up several degrees. Toya realized she had more power coming from her now that she was happy then she’d had a moment ago when he’d pissed her off. He felt uneasy for the first time in a long time.

When Kyoko's laughter died down, she turned to Suki, "Hey, I’m not even sure what classes I’ll be in Monday or where to go for that matter. Do you know where I can find out?"

Before Suki could answer, Toya answered the question watching her closely. "All scholarship students are taught the same. So, you, Suki, and Shinbe, along with the others, will be in the same classes. The only separate class will be when you are with the owner." His voice was lazy as he leaned back in his chair.

Kyoko frowned, "What class does the owner teach?"

Shinbe supplied the answer this time, his amethyst eyes lighting up with intrigue, "For all of us it’s different. That’s why he teaches us separately. He helps us with our special skills.” He leaned back thoughtful, then added with a smirk, “You, I guess, would be strengthening your priestess powers."

Kyoko's anger spiked again, wondering how the hell the owner had known she was a priestess. The scholarship had said nothing about it. She had gone for the last couple years trying to bury the same powers for which the owner had given her a scholarship for. She wanted to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.

Looking down at her plate, Kyoko said in a strained voice, "Maybe this is a mistake. Is there any way I can talk to the owner of the academy now?”

Toya narrowed his eyes. Kyou had told him she might ask to see him, and although Kyou never wanted to see anybody outside of class, he had told Toya to bring her directly to him if she had any questions.

"What’s wrong, are you scared?" he taunted her and was rewarded when her stormy eyes shot straight to his in annoyed anger. So, this girl thought she could handle him. Well, it might be fun to watch her try that look on Kyou. He had seen the fear that Kyou could instantly instill in someone without having to say a word.

"Fine, I’ll take you to see him as soon as you’re ready," Toya challenged wondering if she would take the bait.

Kyoko lost some of her anger on hearing this. Shoving her plate out of the way, she nodded, happy to call his bluff, "Ready when you are." She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What’s the rush?" Toya stood up with a smirk. "Might want to put a lid on that temper of yours because he will sense it," he snickered at her, thinking she had no clue what she was getting herself into.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at him then stood up, glancing back at Suki and Shinbe. "I’ll talk to you after I’m done, if you will come get me. I’ll be in my room waiting and we can make plans for tonight." She winked at Suki then looked back at Toya and added in a deadpan voice. "That is, if I decide to stay."

He turned away from her with a huff and she watched his retreating back, then waved at the others over her shoulder as she followed him. She quickly noticed how other students would get out of Toya’s way hastily and wondered at it. “What was he? The school bully?”

Kyoko was not going to give him the satisfaction of running to catch up with him, so she took her time walking, purposely falling behind. Still slightly angry with him she nearly blushed when her eyes strayed to Toya’s rear end. Watching his hair brush over the seat of his pants, giving her a glimpse of the firm roundness that lay beneath it only irritated her more. Infuriating and cute was just a horrible combination.

Mentally shaking her head, she continued to follow him, cursing her roving eyes. “It would take a complete idiot to think someone you can’t stand… is cute,” she mumbled under her breath. “Annoying…. Hostile… and Arrogant maybe… but never cute,” she grinned, already feeling better.

Some strange awareness crept up her spine and her eyes shot above her and locked with dark eyes that were piercing into hers. The guy was leaning against the wall at the top of the stairs watching her. He had ebony waves of hair flowing down his back and over his shoulder, and his midnight eyes were intense. He was very attractive but she felt… threatened.

She looked away from him. 'Kyoko get a hold of yourself. Stop analyzing everybody you see,' she told herself sternly even as she attempted to raise her emerald eyes back up at him.

"There’s the prettiest girl on campus."

Kyoko felt a strong arm go around her shoulders and turned to look, remembering the voice of the guy that had showed her where her room was earlier that morning. She felt the ends of her hair again tickle her face as a breeze from nowhere seemed to caress her cheeks.

She gave him a warm smile but at the same time, dipped and shrugged out from his attached arm. "Kotaro, it’s nice to see you again. Thanks for your help this morning,” Kyoko said in a nervous voice, wishing he wouldn’t act so familiar with her. She thought he was nice and all, but she never said he could put his arm around her.